Double whammy: a tale of two malignancies

Description

A 61-year-old woman was referred to the dermatology clinic with multiple skin lesions on her scalp and central back. They were relatively asymptomatic but had increased in size over the previous few months. Her medical history was significant as she had a cerebellar medulloblastoma when she was 19 years old that was treated with a 6-month course of radiotherapy on her scalp and along the spinal cord.

On examination, she had multiple erythematous scaly plaques on the right occipital scalp and lower back, consistent with superficial basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and a nodular BCC in the left occipital scalp. They were present within the areas previously treated with radiotherapy, arising from the skin that showed poikilodermatous (atrophic) changes (figures 1 and 2). Scarring alopecia from the previous radiotherapy was also prominent in the occipital scalp. A diagnosis of postradiotherapy BCCs was made. In...

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Acquired capillary haemangioma of the eyelid in a 10-year-old boy

A 10-year-old boy presented with painless, gradually increasing mass in right upper lid without preceding trauma for the past 2 months. On examination, the mass was bluish red, soft to firm in consistency which bleeds on touch. Contrast-enhanced CT showed a well-defined heterogeneously enhancing mass lesion without any continuity with the underlying bone or the orbital cavity. Complete excision of the mass was performed under general anaesthesia, subsequent histopathological examination showed findings consistent with an acquired variant of capillary haemangioma. At the end of 1 year, patient is cosmetically fine without any recurrence/morbidity.

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Large chordoma of the sacrum

Description

A 53-year-old man presented to our service with a 1-month history of subacute bowel obstruction. Clinical examination was unremarkable with normal power and sensation in the lower limbs. This patient had no medical or surgical history. MRI of the pelvis identified a well-defined presacral midline lesion of 9.9 cm diameter, which appeared to arise from the S2 nerve root and below (figure 1A,B). These nerve roots control anal sphincter tone and prohibit faecal incontinence. Whole spine MRI and CT-thorax abdomen pelvis CT-TAP) out ruled metastasis. A biopsy confirmed diagnosis of chordoma. This patient was discussed by a multidisciplinary team consisting of orthopaedics, colorectal, vascular and plastic surgeons. Anterior mobilisation of the lesion, with ileostomy due to expected loss of anal tone and supporting vessel ligation, was undertaken. A wide sacral en-masse resection at the level of S1 disc and inferior nerve roots, incorporating partial gluteus...

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Carotid dissection presenting as a prolonged cluster-like headache in a patient with episodic cluster headache

We present a patient with known episodic cluster headache, who presented with cluster-like headache in the course of internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD) and discuss possible pathophysiological links between the two diseases. It is well known that cluster-like headache could be the presenting symptom of ICAD. However, ICAD occurring in a patient with a known episodic cluster headache was only once previously described. In the end of the manuscript, we propose red flags to help clinicians differentiate between primary cluster headache and cluster-like attacks masking underlying ICAD. Finally, we raise the question whether at least some proportion of those patients with cluster headache and Horner syndrome previously classified as a primary headache disorder might have been secondary cases to ICAD.

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The non-resolving lung cavity: a case of pulmonary cystic echinococcosis

The authors report a case of a 20-year-old woman who was diagnosed with pulmonary cystic echinococcosis. She was admitted to hospital with a 1-week history of unresolving cough, coloured sputum with occasional haemoptysis and fever despite oral antibiotics. Radiology revealed a cavitating right lower lobe lung abscess. After 4 weeks of treatment, follow-up radiology showed incomplete resolution. Bronchoscopy revealed a white, avascular cystic lesion in the right lower lobe and serology testing for Echinococcus granulosus was positive. Repeat imaging eventually confirmed the cystic lesion with the 'air bubble'sign. A thorough travel history, a high index of clinical suspicion and close follow-up are essential in making a diagnosis of pulmonary cystic echinococcosis.

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Early intracardiac thrombus and pulmonary embolus after trauma

Here, we present the case of a patient with the findings of an early intracardiac thrombus and a pulmonary embolus after major trauma. A large clot was identified extending from the inferior vena cava into the right atrium and ventricle in the setting of preserved right ventricular function. Post-traumatic intracardiac thrombus is extremely rare and no comparable cases have previously been described in the absence of a congenital heart defect and obvious myocardial injury. Best practice afterpost-traumatic intracardiac thrombus is not well established but we found that early inferior vena cava filter placement and treatment with therapeutic coagulation resulted in clinical improvement, resolution of the thrombus and no further emboli. The successful use of rivaroxaban, a direct-acting oral anticoagulant, to treat a right heart thrombus has, to our knowledge, not previously been reported. Early acute traumatic coagulopathy has received much attention but the hypercoagulable state that often follows is less well appreciated.

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Incidental finding of persistent left superior vena cava after 'bubble study verification of central venous catheter

We report a case of a patient with septic shock who underwent central venous catheter placement in the left internal jugular vein, and a bedside ultrasound 'bubble study' revealed venous cannulation. A chest X-ray postprocedure revealed concern for arterial system catheterisation. However, the possibility of a persistent left superior vena cava was discussed and confirmed with a formal transthoracic echocardiogram and CT. This case demonstrates the importance of ultrasound-guided visualisation of anatomical structures in real time during central venous catheterisation. Other similar cases from the literature are briefly described.

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